Opposition Leaders Demand Answers on Netanyahu's Knowledge Before Oct. 7

Four Israeli opposition party leaders issued a joint statement Tuesday demanding to know what Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu knew in the days leading up to the October 7th Hamas attacks. The statement from Gadi Eisenkot (Yisrael), Naftali Bennett (Yachad), Avigdor Lieberman (Yisrael Beiteinu), and Yair Golan (The Democrats) came in response to a Haaretz newspaper report alleging Netanyahu received a direct warning about an impending Hamas operation.

The opposition leaders pledged to establish a state commission of inquiry, stating, "The public in Israel deserves to know what happened before, during, and after the October 7th massacre." They criticized Netanyahu, claiming the "shattering revelation" necessitates an immediate and in-depth investigation, adding to previous reports of his failures and dysfunction. They asserted that Netanyahu is fighting to prevent a state inquiry to hide the truth from the Israeli public.

The joint statement accused Netanyahu and his associates of spreading "false conspiracy theories" and blaming the security establishment, while evidence suggests he ignored serious warnings. "This is arrogance and a breach of the trust that the citizens of Israel placed in him and his government, and it is also extreme negligence in his role," the leaders wrote.

The Haaretz report detailed that Netanyahu received a specific warning from the President of the United Arab Emirates about a "major move" planned by Hamas leader Sinwar against Israel days before the October 7th attack. The report further alleged that Netanyahu did not update the heads of the security establishment about this warning.

Naftali Bennett told Kan News that he knows Netanyahu also received warnings from Egyptian military official Abbas Kamel and then-Emirati President Mohammed bin Zayed, and that he "ignored it." A separate report mentioned that Netanyahu's schedule for October 7th has raised further questions, with his advisor denying any warning was received.